The perfect G-Shock for watch guys who don’t like G-Shocks

There are plenty of watch people we hang out with that would never be caught dead with a Casio G-Shock. The popular plastic and rubber digital watches are the antithesis of elegant mechanical watches many watch collectors tend to favor. That said, G-Shock collectors are a massive group and quite feverish in their collecting habits. Limited edition Frogman, anyone?

But let me introduce to you a G-Shock for the fancy pants watch collectors of the world. It’s the Japan-only GW-5000-1JF. First of all, it has a DLC’d screw down caseback. That’s just excessive … and incredible.

Photo from Seiya Japan

Back to the basics, it’s what G-Shock collectors call a “square,” the case shape and dimensions are direct descendants of the first-ever G-Shock, which was conceived to be able to survive a drop from several story tall building—true story.

Photo from Seiya Japan

So why do you need this watch? Because there are times that call for a watch that you really don’t need to protect or worry about it being stolen. Yes, it’s solar (really, light powered) and synchs to the atomic clock so it’s really on time all the time. But not of this is as important that it’s G-Shock that costs more than $300. Only you know that you’re still wearing a luxe piece. Only you know the rubber is softer. Only you can feel that DLC caseback against your wrist. Only you know this watch is a Japanese Domestic Model, meaning you have to buy it from a Japanese online dealer.

It’s your secret that what on your wrist looks just like the $40 DW-5600 you can buy at Walmart.